Note* Technically, the crowds are mostly for black Friday and turkeys need to cook a lot longer than an hour, but eh, I tweaked some of the details.
Also, I used my own character from Bloody Rose, Izumi, in this story.
Please Enjoy! - WARNING: This story will be uploaded in Bloody Rose, Tales of a Kaitou, and as its own story.
"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Case of the Hard-Earned Turkey
Thanksgiving DC special!
"So let me see if I got this right… Shinichi and Heiji are in charge of the turkey, Kaito in charge of the desert, and Hakuba in charge of the side dishes?" Ran asked, her expression obviously doubtful as she read off the "grocery" list.
"That's right," nodded Aoko, "I thought it was high time the boys took some responsibility. We have been graduated for the past seven years and most of us married for the past five. I don't see why the boys can't put in some effort."
Ran blinked.
"You honestly have never seen Shinichi in the kitchen before have you?" she asked with a sigh, "I suppose we can try it. I mean…what's the worst that can happen?"
The four young men all stared at the girls in unison.
"You want…us to cook?"
"That is what I said," Aoko confirmed, her expression serious.
"Seriously?" Heiji whispered.
Shinichi shrugged, his expression uncertain as he glanced towards Ran who had the same look. Kazuha who had just walked in took one look at their expressions and immediately guessed what had just occurred.
"You can't be serious Aoko-chan. Heiji can't…he can't cook to save his life!"
Aoko just turned, her expression firmly set. "Nonsense. All they have to do is read instructions. How hard can that seriously be?"
Turning back to the boys she peered at each one.
"First things first, we need the turkey. Hattori, Shinichi-kun, you are in charge of buying one and cooking it thoroughly. I expect good results!"
Both gulped and saluted as Aoko turned to Hakuba.
"Saguru!"
"Hai?!" he yelled, snapping into his own salute.
Aoko glared, but continued, somewhat enjoying her power. "You are in charge of the side dishes. Myself, Ran, and Kazuha-chan will be assisting you in the kitchen. When will Izumi arrive?"
"Uh, she said she would be here late. Her work is…sadly busy today."
Aoko nodded before swiftly turning to Kaito. Her husband however had years of experience dealing with Aoko in this mood and he merely acknowledged her and her expression.
"You are in charge of desert Kaito."
Kaito smiled, already imagining the five layered chocolate cake he wanted to make. Aoko hid a grin when she noticed his dreamy expression. Honestly, Kaito was perhaps the only guy who really had experience in the kitchen, but she thought it was high time the rest of them learned (Not to mention, she knew how much Kaito loves his deserts) but that was beside the point.
Aoko reminded herself she wasn't playing favorites (even though, she kind of was) and continued with her commands.
"I will assist with the stuffing. Ran, you will assist with the green bean casserole, and Kazuha-chan, you will assist with the gravy. Everyone have their task?"
The six friends in front of her nodded.
"Good, then, to the store!"
Upon arrival to the store, each person went their own way. Kaito headed to the cake section, Hakuba and Aoko to the 'from scratch' stuffing area, Kazuha and Ran to the casserole and gravy areas, and Shinichi and Hattori to the turkeys.
"So, what size are we supposed to get?" Shinichi asked as they walked, dodging people left and right as the store thundered with the chatter of men and women rushing to gather last minute Thanksgiving Day items.
Heiji slowed, his eyes wide. "There are sizes of turkeys?"
Shinichi blinked. "I think so…yeah. I mean, they can't all be the same size right?"
"I…I guess not." Agreed Hattori.
The two boys were in deep thought as they walked down the frozen food section, peering anxiously into each freezer, looking desperately for anything that said turkey. The two had been looking for several minutes when they noticed a store worker passing by.
"Uh excuse me!" Hattori called out to him, "Where are your turkeys?"
The man stared at them before nervously shifting.
"Are you… here for a turkey?"
Heiji shared a confused look with Shinichi.
"That is what I said," he replied, nodding.
The store worker chewed nervously on his nails. "I wish you boys luck then. They…they are beasts."
Shinichi frowned, somewhat worried. "Who are you talking about? Is someone in trouble?"
The worker laughed, his eyes dancing around the area in obvious fear. "Not yet," he cackled, "but soon. Very soon. So soon. They will be in trouble soon. We are all going to die!"
The evil laughter that followed caused both detectives to step back, somewhat creeped out.
"Uh dude, are you okay?"
Suddenly the worker smiled. "Of course kind sirs. The t-turkeys are in the next aisle over. Good day gentlemen."
The two stared after the worker with unease before looking to one another.
"So… brave it?"
Shinichi swallowed hard, nodding.
"Have you ever seen Aoko-chan angry? She's far scarier than any murderer I know."
Kaito shuffled slowly down the aisle ways, humming to himself different songs of thanksgiving he knew. Noticing the proximity of those in the hall around him, he realized if he didn't hurry, they might run out of cake mix!
Quickly and using the skills bestowed only on the great Kaitou Kid himself (Ha!), Kaito dodged person after person, jumped and back flipped the numerous obstacles, until finally, he landed on the top shelf of the aisle he needed. It said a lot about the busyness of those around him shopping, that not one person noticed his acrobatics.
Dropping to the ground and startling those around him who looked at him as though he had dropped from heaven itself, he walked up to the shelf and grabbed the last two boxes of chocolate cake mix. With a smirk a mile wide, he made his way across the aisle to the frosting and grabbed three cans of the sprinkled, nut enriched, chocolate frosting before making his way calmly towards the exit, whistling tunes along the way.
Ran and Kazuha pushed and shoved, making their way through the hordes surrounding the gravy mixes and casserole ingredients.
"This is why I hate shopping on Thanksgiving Day!" Kazuha shouted in frustration, nearly tripping over a small boy that darted through the crowds, nearly unseen until you were right up on him.
Steadying her friend, Ran nodded in agreement.
"I never knew it was this bad."
"Oh this ain't nothing toots!" a little old grandma yelled as she barreled through people towards the two girls, "you should see Christmas. There isn't nothing like peace and thanks at the holidays when fightin' off the masses of shoving, fighting, and biting, crowds of people in a desperate hurry to get back home."
"That sounds…nice?" Kazuha whispered, barely catching herself as someone shoved her roughly into the shelves of cereal boxes behind her.
"HA! Nice don't exist on the holiday shopping spree we wives, mothers, and grandmothers do for our families. No way honey, it's a dog eat dog world."
With those words, the little grandma vanished back into the crowd.
"That was interesting." Ran whispered with a sigh, backing up as four large men pushed through.
Kazuha nodded. "I think this day at the grocery is going to be harder than I originally thought."
Aoko marched through, the crowds parting around her as they shuffled to move out of the determined brunette's way. Hakuba hurried after her, not daring to separate himself too much, lest he be swallowed by the hungry lions fighting for dominance! Okay, so he was exaggerating a bit, but he was serious about not getting to far behind. If he did, he doubted he would catch back up to her easily.
"So uh, how does one make stuffing?" he asked loudly.
Every woman there seemed to freeze, peering at him like he had asked the most stupid of questions possible. Gulping while trying (and failing) to ignore the stares burning into his back, Aoko answered with a rushed voice.
"No idea. I just buy the box."
Seemingly pleased by this answer, the women around them continued shopping and Hakuba felt he could breathe.
"A-Alright then."
Kaito stood in line at cashier lane number 5. He was sixth in line and had been for the past ten minutes. Yawning as he juggled (literally) the two boxes of mix and three cans of frosting, he looked around for any sign of his friends or wife.
"Kaito!" a voice shouted.
Turning the opposite way he had been looking, he waved (between juggling) at Aoko and Hakuba who were nearly parting the red sea with their determined march through the crowds towards his location. The woman behind Kaito jumped back as Aoko planted herself by his side.
"Uh excuse me!" the woman yelled angrily, "I was in line!"
Aoko calmly turned to the woman, her face devoid of any expression.
"So am I," she replied, "And this is my husband."
The woman looked from Aoko to Kaito who raised an eyebrow at the woman's disappointed gaze. Seemingly giving up, the woman turned quiet as Aoko turned back to Kaito. Hakuba just ignored the whole thing, knowing it was best not to try and argue reason with Aoko when she was like this.
"So any sign of the others?" Hakuba asked Kaito.
Kaito shrugged, never once losing one of his items now flying through the air that was rapidly gaining attention of both customers and clerks alike.
"Not that I have seen. I'm sure they will…"
"Aoko!" two more voices cut through the silence in unison.
Kazuha and Ran rushed up, each panting ridiculously hard as they clutched their groceries to them. Hakuba peered at them in concern while the woman behind Kaito scowled and huffed in indignation. "And what are they, her wives?" she whispered, but never really voiced.
Saguru grinned at the whisper, but didn't say a word. Kaito on the other hand laughed rather noisily before quieting down thanks to Aoko's loud shout for him to be silent (oh the irony.)
"So uh… where is Shinichi?" Ran asked.
Kazuha looked around for a sign of her own husband.
Aoko shrugged. "I'm sure they will be along."
Shinichi and Hattori stared at the mass of clawing animals (women) beating each other for the right of a discounted turkey.
"So that's what that guy meant…" Heiji whispered, his eyes wide.
Kudo nodded, before stripping his jacket off and handing it to Hattori who received it with confusion.
"I'm going in," Shinichi stated, his eyes closed as he counted down. "3…2…1…Iku Zo*!"
"Abunai*!" Heiji screamed after him, trying to be heard over the roar of the crowd.
Shinichi felt every hit, every kick, and every bite, but continued to struggle through until finally, he reached the turkeys. Not caring what size he grabbed, he clutched on to one and made his way, slowly, back towards where Hattori was waiting, cheering him on.
"Kudo!" Heiji cried, rushing to his side as Shinichi dropped to his knees, panting, "Thank God you're alive!"
"I…" Shinichi panted, "I thought…I thought I was going to…going to die!"
Heiji wiped his eyes from the mist gathering there as he assisted his friend to his feet. "We…we have so much to be thankful for!"
As the friends walked towards the van they had come in, Kaito paused, fishing out his phone.
"I just got a text from Shin-chan. He said to go without him and they will take a cab. They just now got the turkey."
"Alright, tell them to be careful and hurry. Dinner starts at seven."
"Will do."
Shinichi and Hattori gasped in air as they leaned against one another, third in line at the cashier's lane, row number 13.
"T-Think we lost them?"
"Y-yeah. Geez, crazy women. How was I supposed to know I grabbed the last 24lb turkey?!"
"W-Whatever. Important thing is we have one."
Shinichi nodded and stepped forward when the line they were in shifted. The old man in front of them luckily had only a couple things.
"What did Kaito say when you texted him?" Heiji asked, shifting his grasp on the turkey hanging between them.
"Said it was fine. Dinner is at seven and Aoko says to hurry."
"That woman is always in a hurry," Hattori grumbled.
Shinichi nodded in agreement as the old man stepped away with his bags of groceries.
"Next!" the cashier called.
The two struggled with the turkey before setting it on the belt. The young female clerk looked them over with a sympathetic smile as she rang it up.
"That will be $50.39."
"Geez, this bird is expensive. Didn't Aoko say to get a thirty dollar one?"
Kudo scowled.
"I'm not going back there!" he growled before gesturing at his friend, "Cough it up, Hattori. I know you have money."
Groaning, Heiji slid his wallet out and passed Shinichi a twenty dollar bill as Kudo pulled out his own cash Aoko had given him. Handing over $51 to the cashier, he waited patiently as she finished ringing up his order.
"Alright, here is your receipt. Have a good day gentlemen."
"I just got a text from Shinichi," Ran called from the living room as she stepped into the kitchen where everyone was unloading their groceries, "They picked up a 24lb bird and are heading out now."
"24lbs…that's a lot bigger than I was planning for, but… I guess left overs are nice," Aoko wondered aloud.
"Aoko, can I start my cake?" Kaito called from the dining room.
"Yes dear!" she called back, "Well, let's hope the turkey gets here soon. It takes a while to cook."
The two boys stood by the side of the road, trying (and once again failing) to flag down a taxi.
"Seems they are all booked today," Heiji sighed, lowering his hand in defeat.
"I guess we could just walk it there. My mansion isn't too far from the store."
"About a half hour walk," agreed Hattori, "I guess we better get started. It's already 5:30. I heard Aoko state the turkey needed to cook for at least an hour before it could be prepped for eating."
Shinichi nodded in acknowledgement as he and Hattori began walking down the road, each sharing a strap of plastic connected to the Turkey to help carry it.
"So you think this will fit in your oven?" Hattori asked.
"Honestly? I have no idea. If anyone can make it fit though, it would be Aoko."
"Hmm… I wonder how everything else is going over there."
"No! Hakuba, you don't just throw the gravy on top of the green beans! You have cook the casserole mushroom gravy first and then casually bring it in with onion crisps and bacon added in!"
Saguru sighed as he tried to scoop the gravy mix back out. He was failing horribly.
From where she stood watching, Aoko closed her eyes and counted down, attempting to calm herself. Her face was bright red and she was tired of people not listening to her commands.
On the other side of the counter, Ran and Kazuha stayed silent, preparing the stuffing and Turkey gravy as instructed. Originally Aoko was going to make the stuffing, but she had decided the green bean casserole was a better fit for someone of her "expertise." Of course Kaito had to go and choke on a laugh at this which earned him a mop to the face, but hey, he was thankful for little miracles that he was still alive after doubting her Majesty.
"God, you people don't know how to cook at all do you?!" she screamed in frustration.
The three kitchen "assistants" bit their lips in order not to say anything they would later regret and Kaito decided that it was time he stepped in. Sure, he had been enjoying sitting back and watching his wife work herself up because of their slow and sloppy skills in the kitchen, but there was a limit to how much control Aoko really needed to have over their "voluntary" help.
Sliding up behind his wife, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest, dipping his head down to nibble on her neck. Aoko gasped at the sudden affection and Kaito smirked in triumph as everyone else took in a breath of relief. Maybe, just maybe, they would all make it out of this experience alive.
Shinichi and Hattori groaned as rain began to pour down, soaking them thoroughly through their jackets. The weather forecast had said sunny skies. Obviously it didn't know what it was talking about.
"Of course it would do this now," grumbled Heiji with a sigh, blinking water out of his squinted eyes.
"Let's stop under the bus stop for a moment," Shinichi suggested as they made their way to the small shelter where many others had taken refuge from the sudden shower.
A couple younger boys were nearby, eyeing the two men and their turkey with interest.
"That's a huge bird," the one muttered, licking his lips, "you going to eat it all?"
Hattori ran a hand through his hair, attempting to shake off the water as he nodded in answer to the boy's question.
"Yeah, probably. It is thanksgiving you know."
The boy nodded as the older one scowled.
"What's so thankful about it?" he growled out, "nothing at all I say."
Shinichi noted his rather disgusted tone but thought nothing of it as they waited for the rain to die down. Closing his eyes and leaning back, Hattori copying his action; neither were aware of the eyes watching them from close by.
Kaito was just beginning to build up the second layer of his three layer cake (Aoko had said no to the five layer idea) when he sniffed the air, lowering the tube of icing in sudden curiosity.
"What is that smell?" he asked, stepping into the kitchen where the others were busily running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
"Oh that's the turkey gravy. It just is a bit strong smelling," Aoko stated calmly as she continued instructing Hakuba who was intensely reading over the directions she had written down for him.
Kazuha stepped up, shifting a bit nervously.
"I may have added to much milk," she whispered to Kaito, "might be a bit runny."
Kaito smiled and patted his friend gently on the shoulder.
"It happens Kazuha-chan and…" he smiled, sending a wink her way, "I won't tell Aoko before she notices it herself."
Kazuha breathed out a sigh of relief as Kaito went back to his decorating.
Shinichi blinked open tired eyes. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. Glancing over, he noticed Hattori was asleep as well.
"Oi, Heiji, wake up. We need to keep walking or we won't…" Shinichi froze, staring at the place the turkey had been only… he glanced at his watch. Only ten minutes ago! "Heiji! The Turkey is gone!"
Hattori snapped awake before tiredly rubbing his eyes.
"What did you say Kudo?"
"The turkey is gone!"
Heiji frowned, squinting against the light of the sun that had broken through the storm clouds sometime in the last fifteen minutes.
"Turkeys can't just walk off on their own Kudo… I mean, well, they can, but you know… not after they are…" Kudo shot him a glare. "…dead." He finished timidly.
"Those boys!" Shinichi yelled, jumping to his feet as he looked around, "I bet it was those kids."
"How could two little kids carry a big turkey like that?"
Kudo narrowed his eyes, uncertain of this idea himself. However when he thought about everyone's reactions, only theirs were suspicious.
"You guys looking for those kids?" a random guy asked, walking up to them.
The two detectives blinked in unison.
"Uh, yeah?" Heiji asked, a bit confused about how this guy knew that.
"They went that," he said as he jerked his thumb behind him, over his shoulder. "They are infamously known as street thieves. No doubt that turkey was a gift from God in their eyes. I saw them and their little friends run in that direction. Careful though, they are fast little critters."
With those words, the man walked off leaving two devastated young men behind.
"We actually lost a frozen turkey," Hattori whispered in disbelief as he sat back down, shaking his head.
"If Ran could hear us now, she would never believe us," Shinichi commented with a sigh, joining his friend on the bench.
The two had only been sitting a moment when they both shot to their feet, their eyes wide.
"What are we going to tell Aoko?!"
"Shinichi and Hattori are taking their time with that Turkey, huh?" wondered Aoko aloud, a deep frown on her face.
"Knowing those two, I bet they got caught up in a murder or something," laughed Kaito.
"Maybe you should call them, Kuroba-kun?" Ran suggested, worried about her husband.
Kaito nodded as he slipped the cake into the oven to finish baking before grabbing his phone and dialing the two detectives as he made his way outside onto the back porch.
"The phone rang a dozen times before finally, a less than happy sounding Kudo answered.
"Hello?"
Kaito blinked at the tone.
"Shin-chan, where are you guys? Is something wrong?"
"Kaito! Oh thank God. I thought you were Ran for a second. I… We… something happened."
Kudo pulled the phone away from his ear with a wince as the screaming laugh of one Kaito Kuroba, flowed through the speaker.
"You have got to be kidding me!" the former thief cried as tears of mirth ran down his face, his lips quivering with the urge to tease them mercilessly, though he held back (mostly). "You lost the turkey?!"
Kudo glared at the phone.
"It's not funny. We are being serious!"
And oh, if Kaito couldn't picture the detective pouting like he did when he was Conan. The impulse to laugh came again, but he held it down as he cleared his throat, fighting the compulsion.
"Well I was a professional thief. Need some assistance?"
Kudo never loved Kuroba more, than at that moment.
"I talked to Shinichi," Kaito called through the back door, "They need some help at the store with the turkey. Seems there was an issue with the cash register. I will be back!"
"Alright, be careful Kaito!" Aoko yelled in return as the door slammed shut.
"You really think he is telling the truth?" Kazuha whispered to Hakuba and Ran.
Hakuba who knew the thief rather well after all those years he chased him, highly doubted he was telling the complete truth, but he didn't doubt there was an issue of some sort happening. He only hoped they solved it before Aoko flew into one of her rages. Someone always got hurt when she did and he didn't want that someone to be him.
Kudo and Hattori both stood up as Kaito came bounding towards them, a highly amused expression on his face.
"So, care to tell me what happened?"
The thief listened with great amusement as the two detectives explained the freak rain, their moment of weakness (they fell asleep) and the sudden vanishing act of a 24lb turkey.
"So let me get this straight? Some kids stole a frozen 24lb turkey from between two homicide detectives while surrounded by a crowd of people?"
The two glared daggers as the thief as he burst into a chorus of giggles.
"Oh this is just too good," he laughed before finally regaining himself, "I suppose I know the kids you were talking about."
"Wait, you know them?!" Hattori yelled, bewildered.
"Of course Hei-chan. I make it my job to know everything that goes on within the bounds of my territory. That includes other players."
"Your territory being all of japan?" Shinichi asked.
"Exactly."
"Hakuba, can you call Kaito and see whats taking so long? He's been gone for over ten minutes and we haven't heard a thing. His cake is about ready to come out and after it does, we only have a couple things left to cook. We need that turkey."
Saguru nodded as he dialed Kaito's cell, waiting patiently as the Lupin III theme song played as a ringback tone.
"Haku-chan! How nice to hear from you!" came the reply as soon as Kaito answered.
"Yeah, yeah. Look, the girls are wondering if you fell in a lake or something. What's going on?"
As Kaito explained the situation, the blonde couldn't help the sudden explosion of laughter that fled his mouth. The girls stopped what they were doing and stared at him in concern.
Clearing his throat, he waved them away, acting as though the laugh was a cough before turning his attention back to the phone call.
"Are you serious?!" he asked in a shouted whisper, "They lost the turkey?!"
At Kaito's confirmation, he slapped a hand to his head.
"And you can find it right?"
The blonde listened before nodding.
"Alright, how long will it take?"
He frowned at the response.
"What do you mean you don't think you can get it back?"
The blonde narrowed his eyes before sighing in defeat.
"I understand but…what about…I mean… this is our thanksgiving to."
Again the blonde nodded as he listened.
"Alright, do whatever you want. I will… try to explain the situation."
Hakuba snorted at the next reply.
"Well if you can't find me upon your return, it's because Aoko killed me and disposed of my body."
He smiled at the response before shaking his head.
"Whatever, just be careful. Alright. Yeah. Bye."
Clicking the phone, he took a deep breath only to stiffen, when he felt someone standing behind him.
"So what am I killing you for, Hakuba-kun?"
The blonde gulped as he turned to face the narrowed gaze of one Aoko Kuroba.
"Bye-Bye~!" Kaito sang before closing his phone, his eyes serious as he took in the situation before him. They found the turkey alright, but it was stolen by an all-children's street gang consisting of over a dozen kids with no place to go. To say the detectives and thief felt less than comfortable taking it away from them, was an understatement.
The three were silent as they continued their stare off with the leader of the clan who scowled angrily, just daring them to take another step closer to their soon-to-be thanksgiving dinner of stolen turkey and canned vegetables.
An imaginary light bulb went off above Kaito's head as he looked over the table full of children.
"I think I know how we can solve this," he stated with a smile, kneeling in front of the young thief, his white cape sweeping the ground. He figured they might listen more to another thief than the friend of the two detectives they stole from. "Care to discuss a truce?"
The young man eyed him suspiciously.
"I'm listening, Kaitou Kid-san."
Aoko burned with anger.
"How can they just stupidly lose a 24lb frozen turkey?!"
The three other individuals standing in the kitchen shied away from her wrath as she marched from room to room, ranting and raving. She was just about to go into another long rant when the doorbell rang. Still angry, she flew to the door and nearly ripped off its hinges before suddenly her anger died.
Sensing the change, the other three inched forward to see who was at the door.
Standing there in front of them were twelve children and behind them stood Kudo, Hattori, and Kai- err, Kid, in full uniform. Aoko did a double take at the unexpected appearance of her husband's alter ego who stood there smiling, before gesturing to the children in front of him.
"Aoko, these are the street Urchins. Urchins, this is my wife, Aoko. My Darling Dove, think you can make room for twelve more?"
Aoko stuttered for a moment, but then took a deep breath and sighed before a warm smile took over her previously shocked expression.
"Welcome kids, come on in. I'm sure we have enough for everyone and then some."
As the children scrambled inside, staring in awe at the Kudo mansion, Kaito walked up to his wife and took her hand, placing a gentle, yet loving kiss on her forehead.
"Thank you Aoko. This is why I love you."
Aoko smirked. "Only for this?" she joked, before closing the door behind them.
"Hello?!" Izumi called as she walked into the mansion. She was a bit late for the dinner, but she had sent them a text ahead of time telling them to go ahead and eat and she would be there when she could. Stepping in, she froze at the sight that met her.
Spread out on the couch, on the dining room chairs, and on the floor, were several little children. Many of whom were burrowed into the warm laps of her friends, all snoring away, completely unaware of the movie, "All dogs go to heaven" playing on the television.
Plastic plates of half eaten food were strewn around the area; cups falling from weak grasps of sleeping children, and loud snores from the adults who seemed to have had to hard of a day.
"Where is my camera when I need it?" she whispered with a quiet laugh.
A small tug on her jacket had her looking down where a small girl, maybe four years old, stood staring up at her.
"I'm chilwy, can I has a bwanket?"
Izumi felt her heart go out to the child as she cooed and knelt down in front of her.
"Oh darling, you can have as many blankets as you want," she said and swept the little girl into her arms as she settled down on the couch beside her husband.
Hakuba woke up at the movement and glanced over, smiling when he noticed his wife snuggling the sleepy toddler in her arms; the little girl burrowing into the warmth. Slipping an arm around her, he held his wife close and knew, he had never been more thankful, than at this very moment.
"Happy Thanksgiving Saguru," Izumi whispered.
Hakuba smiled. "Happy thanksgiving love."
"None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can make for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy."
- Fred De Witt Van Amburgh
AUTHORS NOTE:
Iku Zo – I'm going in!
Abunai – Careful!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!